Bowler{40 s training method

ABSTRACT

A bowler&#39;&#39;s training device and method comprising a wrist band having a flexible cord or equivalent means connected to a flexible palm-engaging member adapted to be disposed between a bowling ball and a person&#39;&#39;s palm when the ball is delivered, whereby a person may immediately close the hand to grip the palmengaging member as the ball is delivered, thus causing the bowler to attain the proper follow-through action or lift recognized to be essential to gain effective control of the ball.

United @tates Patent Foster 5] Mar. 14, 1972 [54] BOWLER'S TRAINING METHOD [72] Inventor: James A. Foster, 801 East Southern Avenue, Phoenix, Ariz. 85040 [221 Filed: July 23, 1970 [2ll Appl. No: 57,611

[52] US. Cl. ..273/54 B, 224/28 R [51] Int. Cl. ..A63b 69/00 [58] Field of Search ..273/l R, 54 B; 63/3; 224/4 G,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,437,337 4/1969 Larson,Jr. ..273/1R 1,438,145 12/1922 Swartz ..224/28A 3,124,286 3/1964 Dompier ..224/28 A 2,962,197 11/1960 Spengler, Jr. ..224/28 A 732,532 6/1903 Fallek ..63/3 UX Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Att0mey-Drummond, Cahill & Phillips [57 ABSTRACT A bowler's training device and method comprising a wrist band having a flexible cord or equivalent means connected to a flexible palm-engaging member adapted to be disposed between a bowling ball and a persons palm when the ball is delivered, whereby a person may immediately close the hand to grip the palm-engaging member as the ball is delivered, thus causing the bowler to attain the proper follow-through action or lift recognized to be essential to gain effective control of the ball.

1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures Patented March 14, 1912 3,649,013

EYE =5 INVENTOR- JAMES A. FOSTER ATTORNEYS BOWLER'S TRAINING METHOD Various palm pads for bowlers have been utilized and these pads have been secured in fixed relation to the ball delivery hand of a bowler to prevent them from falling to the surface of a bowling lane when a ball is delivered from the hand.

Training devices which are fixed to the palm of the hand do not necessarily force the bowler to close the hand in a followthrough action quickly to grip the palm-engaging member before it falls from the hand. Accordingly, such prior art devices do not impose a mandatory action on the part of the bowler, to prevent the palm-engaging member from falling to the lane or falling from the hand, when the ball is delivered therefrom Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bowlers training method utilizing a training device, which comprises a palm-engaging member adapted to be disposed between a bowling ball and a persons palm when a ball is delivered therefrom, said palm-engaging member loosely and flexibly supported on the person, but readily displaceable from the palm in the absence of immediate gripping action to capture the palm-engaging member when the bowling ball is delivered from the hand, whereby such grasping motion of the hand to retain the palm-engaging member, causes the bowler to attain the proper followthrough action or lift recognized to be essential to gain effective action and control of the ball.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a very simple bowler's training method utilizing a training device which is captive on the persons arm by means of a simple wrist band having a flexible cord or equivalent means which is sufficiently flexible to permit the palm-"engaging member of the invention to fall readily from the palm of the hand, but which also prevents the palm-engaging member from falling to the surface of a bowling lane or to the floor when the person is standing.

Further objects and advantages of the invention may be apparent from the following specification, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a bowlers training device shown in connection with a bowlers wrist and showing a palm-engaging member of the invention flexibly connected to a wrist band of the invention and disposed in the palm of a bowler's hand.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the present invention comprises a wrist band adapted to be secured around the wrist of a bowler in any suitable manner and by suitable fasteners 12, which may be of any conventional mechanical construction.

Connected to the wrist band 10 is a flexible cord 14, which is sufiiciently flexible and of a length to permit a palm-engaging member 16 to be freely displaced from the palm A of a bowlers hand when a ball is delivered and in the event the palm-engaging member 16 is not grasped at the time, or shortly after, the ball is delivered from the bowlers palm.

One end 18 of the cord 14 is secured to the wrist band 10 and an opposite end 20 of the cord 14 is secured to one end 22 of the palm-engaging member 16.

The palm-engaging member 16 is generally elongated having an end 23 opposite the end 22. The ends 22 and 23 are normally disposed adjacent side edges of the hand A, when in use, and the longitudinal axis of the palm-engaging member 16 is disposed transversely of the longitudinal axes of the fingers of the hand A so that the elongated structure of the palm-engaging member 16 is transversely of the palm, when disposed between a bowling ball and the hand previous to delivery of the ball, such that the fingers of the hand A must be lifted in order to grasp the palm-engaging member 16 and must be lifted sufficiently to close the hand in order to grasp the palmengaging member 16 before it is displaced from the hand.

In the event that the palm-engaging member 16 does become displaced from the hand, the flexible cord 14 holds it captive on the wrist band 10 and prevents it from falling to the bowlin lane in which the bowler is playing.

It wil be understood that the palm-engaging member 16 may be of flexible material such as leather, plastic, rubber or it may be of metal or other suitable material.

The flexible member 14 may be an elastic band, braided cord, wire, plastic or any other suitable material, which is sufficiently flexible and long enough to permit the palm-engaging member readily and easily to be displaced from the hand, if the hand fails to grasp the palm-engaging member immediately after the ball is delivered from the hand.

In operation, the palm-engaging member 16 is placed in the hand, as shown in FIG. 1, and the bowling ball is gripped to hold the palm-engaging member 16 in the palm of the hand and in this manner the palm-engaging member is disposed between the ball and the palm of the hand, previous to release or delivery of the ball by the hand. Immediately, the player or bowler quickly attempts to raise the fingers in a grasping motion to capture the palm-engaging member before it falls away from the hand, and in this grasping action the bowler thus lifts the fingers of the ball delivery hand in a manner recognized to be essential to gain effective action and control of the ball. Thus, the loosely engaged palm-engaging member must quickly be grasped immediately following the delivery of the ball and the fingers must be raised during the delivery in order to provide a sufficiently rapid grasping action to capture'or hold and retain the palm-engaging member 16 in the palm of the hand after the ball is delivered.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications of the present invention may be resorted to in a manner limited only by a just interpretation of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A bowlers training method utilizing a training device including a wrist band, a flat plate and a flexible tether extending between the wrist band and the plate, the tether being sufficiently long to enable the plate to be disposed in the palm when the wristband is on the associated wrist, comprising the steps of attaching the wrist band on the wrist, capturing the plate between the associated palm and a bowling ball, delivering the bowling ball, and attempting to grasp the plate with the associated fingers before the plate falls from the palm. 

1. A bowler''s training method utilizing a training device including a wrist band, a flat plate and a flexible tether extending between the wrist band and the plate, the tether being sufficiently long to enable the plate to be disposed in the palm when the wrist band is on the associated wrist, comprising the steps of attaching the wrist band on the wrist, capturing the plate between the associated palm and a bowling ball, delivering the bowling ball, and attempting to grasp the plate with the associated fingers before the plate falls from the palm. 